For the past several decades, the scaling of features in integrated circuits has been a driving force behind an ever-growing semiconductor industry. Scaling to smaller and smaller features enables increased densities of functional units on the limited real estate of semiconductor chips. For example, shrinking transistor size allows for the incorporation of an increased number of memory devices on a chip, lending to the fabrication of products with increased capacity. The drive for ever-more capacity, however, is not without issue. The necessity to optimize the performance of each device becomes increasingly significant.
A nanoelectromechanical (NEMS) relay operates like a switch. The NEMS relay uses a voltage to physically open and close a circuit. The NEMS relay has the advantage of energy efficiency by not leaking current when turned off unlike CMOS transistors. However, the physical dimensions at which the nanorelays are operational at low voltages are limited and manufacturing tolerances are small.